6-foot-10 ‘prodigy’ hooper gets 1st D-I offer from CA school
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (BVM) – Adrien Isaac Porras first went viral for his 6-foot-10 stature and 7-foot-2 wingspan as an eighth-grade basketball player in early 2023. More recently, Porras was featured in the biggest sports magazine in France – L’Équipe Magazine – as “the new prodigy of US basketball.”
Porras – who is only 14 years old and hasn’t played high school hoops yet – spent this past summer in France training with athletes who are more of his size. He even tested his skills against The Process Basketball founder, Tremaine Dalton. When Porras returned to the US, he was met with his very first Division-I basketball offer.
“I feel blessed to have received my first D-1 offer from Cal State Bakersfield University,” Porras said. “It’s definitely a confidence booster for me. But I still know that I have so much more work to do. I have to keep getting better and keep getting good reps in so that I can feel more comfortable and hopefully make another huge leap.”
The rising freshman is taking his talents to Sequoia Pathfinder at Verrado Way (Arizona) to play high school basketball this year. The Class of 2027 athlete noted, “I will be playing one through five since my coach wants me to get as comfortable as possible in all positions.”
Sequoia Pathfinder basketball coach Jimmy Scroggins, who used to play pro basketball overseas, already knows a lot about Porras’ abilities. He’s actually been training Porras for the past two years.
“Two years ago, when Adrien walked into the door and stepped onto the court – my initial thought was that he needed a lot of work for a high school student,” Scroggins said. “After talking to him for a second during camp, he informed me that he was actually 12 years old as he stood and looked down at me from his 6-foot-8 height (at the time)… We’ve been working together ever since.”
Scroggins isn’t the only one who’s been baffled by Porras’ stature. Social media users often leave comments that read, “You’re not 14, show us a birth certificate.” Others question how someone who just finished the eighth grade can already have a goatee and mustache. However, Porras only focuses on the positive comments, such as when users make claims that he’ll be the next 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama.
“It’s been a blessing to be compared to Victor, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft,” Porras said. “I’ve only been really playing for just over two years, so I’m humbled knowing that people see some of him in me at a young age. I’m just trying to really train to get my game like his.
“I believe that I will be able to compete at the college and NBA level in a couple of years. I’m being patient – taking my time to learn and we have been focusing a lot on my body, mobility, strength and conditioning. I love the journey so far.”
Porras gives credit to Scroggins for helping him with the challenging journey thus far – claiming, “Without [Jimmy Scroggins], I would still be sitting at home playing video games and being the same chubby kid.” But, Scroggins remains humble and says that Porras’ mom (Ines Porras) deserves all the credit.
Overall, the future looks bright for Porras as he enters high school. Viral middle school highlights showed the scoreboard reading, 60-16, as Porras blocked and dunked over kids half his size.
“Adrien’s mobility is exceptional for a 14-year-old kid at this size,” Scroggins said. “He’s getting more and more athletic every day and learning every position on the floor. He listens and is extremely coachable, he wants to be the best at everything he does. His upside is crazy considering where he currently is after really only playing two full years. He runs the floor well, he blocks shots, his handle is coming along pretty good, he is a natural lefty and he can shoot the ball pretty well. I’m really excited to continue watching his growth and watching him mature as a player as well.”
